Sustainable mobility: can the world speak with one voice?

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By 2030, global passenger traffic is set to rise by 50%, and freight volume by 70%. By 2050, we will have twice as many vehicles on the road, with most of the increase coming from emerging markets, where steady economic expansion is creating new lifestyle expectations and mobility aspirations. Mega-projects like China’s One Belt, One Road could connect more than half of the world’s population, and roughly a quarter of the goods that move around the globe by land and sea.

These transformations create a unique opportunity to improve the lives and livelihoods of billions of people by facilitating access to jobs, markets, and essential services such as healthcare or education.

But the growth of the transport sector could also come at the cost of higher fossil fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions, increasing air and noise pollution, a growing number of road fatalities, and worsening inequities in access.

Although these are, of course, global challenges, developing countries are disproportionately affected.

While the case for sustainable mobility is evident, the sector still lacks coherence and clear objectives. There is a way forward, but it requires pro-active cooperation between all stakeholders.

That’s what motivated the creation of Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All), a partnership between a wide range of global actors determined to speak with one voice and steer mobility in the right direction.

SuM4All partners include Multilateral Development Banks, United Nations Agencies, bilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and is open to other important entities such as national governments and private companies. Together, these organizations can pool their capacity and experience to orient policymaking, turn ideas into action, and mobilize financing.

There are three fundamental premises that guide the work of the Sum4All initiative:

First, we need to get everyone around the same table: so far, global mobility has been managed by a multitude of actors—UN agencies, multilateral development banks, the manufacturing industry, civil society— who have all been working independently. In the absence of coherent governance, the sector has failed to bring action and financing to scale in order to transform itself. Better cohesion, however, is possible. The energy sector embarked on this journey in 2010 with great results. There is no reason why transport should not be able to do the same.

To be successful, you have to set some clear goals. Despite its critical role in economic and social development, transport is the only major sector that did manage to get its own Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). This is not good news, and will make it harder to get the global attention and financing needed to move the needle on sustainable mobility over the next 15 years. For the past six months, SuM4All partners have been working to fill the gap and agree on a set of global objectives for the sector, in line with recent international agreements like Habitat III, the Paris Agreement, and the SDGs. Specifically, the four priority goals identified by SuM4All are equitable access, safety, efficiency, and climate-responsiveness.

Technology is changing our world. Let’s make the most of it! Technological innovation will go a long way in helping countries transition to more sustainable mobility. Advances in electric or autonomous vehicles promise to make transport greener, safer, and more efficient. Likewise, digital innovations such as ridesharing platforms, e-commerce, and telecommuting can significantly reduce demand and avoid unnecessary trips.

As OECD Transport Ministers gather in Leipzig for the International Transport Summit 2017 this month, we look forward to identifying influential policy-makers who can join this global movement and champion the cause of sustainable mobility, not just in their own countries but around the world.

Join the Conversation

This is initiative that is long overdue. I know for a fact that there's an almost total absence of organised mass transit system (Rail, bus or waterway) in Nigeria where I live. I am involved in trying to establish a properly structured mass transit system for 3 cities in the south of Nigeria. Due to the structure of the financing organisation, a national development Bank, we are bringing in diesel powered high capacity buses. This will be more environmentally friendly than the current situation in which everyone rides his own car or ride in very old and rickety small capacity vehicles but I do think we can do better for ourselves and the environment with available advance in science and technology. I hope to be able to contribute towards the attainment of some of the goals to be set for the transport sector and would therefore appreciate advice on how to be part of this endeavour. One of the major challenges in this environment is paucity of long term, low interest funding facilities and local knowledge in setting up and operating such a mass transit project sustainably. We are trying to surmount these by using EXIM funding model and getting technical support from a South American country. I look forward to getting any useful suggestions. Thank you